See all that stuff?
13 packages of Kraft cheese
5 packages of Smart Chicken (ground and chicken breasts)–reduced by half price
7 cans of organic cocoa powder–reduced to $0.25 each!
organic eggs–reduced to $1.85
beef hot dogs
2 bags Hershey’s chocolate chips–reduced to $0.99 each
Cottonelle toilet paper–free after coupon
4 Green Giant Steamers–free after coupon
Dove shampoo
Herbal Essence shampoo/conditioner
6 Johnson’s Buddies soaps–free after coupon
4-pk Yo-Plait yogurt
2 packages Fiber One bars
3 boxes Quaker oatmeal
2 boxes Orville Redenbacher natural popcorn
1 quart whole milk–reduced to $0.99
3 bags Chex Mix
Before reductions, sales, and coupons, it would retail for $140-$150. After reductions, coupons, and sales, I paid $49 for all of it!
The best deal of all, in my opinion, was the cheese. It was $1.49/bag or block if you bought 10 of the mega sale items. However, their were $1/1 coupons in a little dispenser right next to the cheese. So I paid $0.49 each for all 13 packages of cheese!! I’ll be freezing most of the shredded cheese to use in some of the meals I’ll be making up and freezing for the baby’s birth.
Many of the “snacky” items I’ll be saving for after the baby is born. I’m trying to build up a good stockpile of food and household items to have on hand then so we don’t have to worry much about shopping (you can read more about this here). This should also save us money because I usually am not thinking clearly enough after a baby is born to be using coupons or shopping the sales.
For those of you who shop at “my” Dillons store be sure to hit this cheese deal! Also, check out the section of the store (at the back) where they have mark-downs. There were boxes and boxes of Hershey’s chocolate chips reduced to $0.99 back there!
I also went earlier this week while I was out running errands and got the following items:
From the health food store: a bag of organic apples reduced to $0.99, organic toaster pastries reduced to $0.99, Kashi granola reduced to $1.99. Again, I’m saving the toaster pastries for quick breakfasts after Baby comes.
From Dillons: 5 bags of cranberries reduced to $0.50 each. I stuck all of these in the freezer to use in baking.
And then yesterday, a friend found strawberries at a steal and bought some for me, too:
Can you guess how much all those strawberries cost? $6.49!!! We’ll be eating some of them fresh and I’ll freeze the rest to use in smoothies. Yummy!
I was planning to go to Aldi and buy some more fruit and veggies for this week, but after getting all those strawberries and surveying what’s still in my refrigerator and freezer, I think I’m going to hold off doing so for at least a few more days and make sure we use up the fresh produce we already have!
And I’m still quite a bit under our $60/week budget allotment for this month. All I can say is that God is so good and so faithful to provide for us as I seek to trust Him, pray for His blessing upon shopping trips, and do my best to be a wise steward of the resources He’s given us.
I’ll post our menu for what we’re eating this coming week on Monday, for those who are interested.
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How’d you do this week? Post about the deals and bargains you were able to snag this week or other ways you saved money on your blog (with pictures, if possible!) and then come back here and leave your link below. **To make it easy for everyone to navigate quickly through the links, your link must link directly to your Super Savings Saturday post.**
OK, my jaw just hit the table there! 25 cents for a jar of Green & Black’s cocoa? That’s like… *does the math* 15 pence! G&B is a British company, it should be cheaper here than it is for you! I buy it once in a blue moon if I’m making something special.
Ahem, anyway, grocery-envy aside, that is a really impressive haul. I do the same thing, scanning the shelves for the reduction stickers. Now if only British supermarkets would catch on to the couponing idea!
Thanks for the tip on the coupons by the cheese! They had them at my Kroger here…they were only .75, but still, I’ll take it! I’m stocked on shredded cheeses and Rotel for a LONG time thanks to this sale.
Thanks to your posts I went out today (to 3 stores…Aldi, Lowes Food, and Food Lion) and spent less than $50 for our week’s worth. This is my best ever!! Thank you Crystal. Your weekly “savings” posts always encourage me to do better with my shopping.
PS…Tell Patti who posted the link about freezing things, that she found a PERFECT website…Clemson University is where I went to college. Their AG department would definitely know about all things food related! Good Job Patti 🙂
man I wish our kroger doubled $.75 coupons to $1, that would be great! I’d just take the $.75 coupon, but we don’t have those either, oh well!
As far as freezing goes– you are right on, just try it! Even things that say “do not freeze” such as pillsbury rolls/biscuits and coffeemate— I freeze them all the time just fine!
I did my mega ten shopping as well but haven’t posted…probably won’t ge taround to it. But I was happy. OH and a new HUGE and FANCY kroger opened up by my mom and they had coupons for free items the next 4 weeks. This week was eggs. I walked in and they gave me a banana! lol. and they had all kinds of samples and stuff out. It is such a nice kroger, i might have to drive across town more often!
WOW…you did great!! I didn’t get so lucky with the cheese coupons. There wasn’t any left in our store…bummer. But, @ $1.49, it was still a good deal for us. Especially with lasagna and crescent dogs (that’s for my son’s night to cook) on our menu for next week.
Well, someone else just wrote what I was going to! You simply can’t find these kind of prices in New England!! I do coupon clip and shop sales and feel great when I do, but then I see what you get and realize I never ever do that good. Wish I did. Stores don’t mark things down like that and even the things like the cottonelle – I clipped the coupon, but our store had that size pack for like $4. Rip off. Oh well, you do what you can.
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Money Saving Mom here: My mantra is “Do what you can do with what you’ve got where you are.” There are benefits and downsides to living pretty much anywhere. Don’t compare yourself to others, just be thankful for what you have been given and work with that. 🙂
I had to throw out how much I miss Dillons too! I do want you other Kansas Citians to know that Hen House doubles coupons too (only coupons that are .50 or less)! They are more expensive than Dillons, but have some great sales.
Excellent job Crystal! I look forward to your Super Saving Saturdays post every week. I have many Krogers in town. However, I didn’t do the mega 10! There is always next time. Great deal on the cheese. One time I accidently stuck cheese in the freezer and ended up throwing it out because I thought you couldn’t freeze cheese like that LOL. I would love to stock up because I love making pizzas.
God is definitely faithful for sure although it appears that it also helps to have Dillons/Kroger stores around. 🙂 That’s wonderful that you are able to get such good prices. You simply cannot find such low prices here in New England! We eat very few processed foods now out of necessity, so I’m finding it more expensive, but it’s okay. Like you often mention, we all must do what works for our own families. Congrats on your good deals!
Just curious – have you ever tried the Fiber One bars before? My whole family and I had trouble with very painful gas after eating them. I know that sounds terribly graphic! But I just wondered if you had tried them yet. I had to throw a bunch out and stop buying them.
Kathy
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Money Saving Mom here: Yes, I’ve even lots of them and *like* them, actually. We eat lots of fiber here, though, so maybe our bodies are more adjusted to higher doses of fiber? Who knows?!
I’m so glad I read the comments today – I normally don’t have time too! I can make good use of this freezing link. Thanks for posting it.
Your deals this week are amazing. GREAT finds and great work. I’ve been trying to pop into Mom of Littles also – I’m so glad that you’re finding things going smoother this time with the pregnancy/iron issues. Hoping the third trimester goes wonderfully as well.
Here is an answer for Kim and other readers interested in freezing procedures: http://hgic.clemson.edu
This web page is from the Extension Service (there is one in every state) and has the official, up to date food preservation information you will need. Just click on Food Safety, Nutrition,and Health, then scroll down and look for Freezing Basics. Keep up the good work!
Every time you post your grocery deals I wish once again that Dillons was not bought in Kansas City!
Wonderful wekk Crystal. I’m very happy for you. I wish I some of the stores around that you have. I had never heard of Dillons or Aldis before reading MSM. There aren’t any stores here that double coupons. But I am working the 3 drug stores and finding deals at our local grocery store. (I live in Western MA)
Went to Ingles triple coupons event. Bought items totaling $173 for $83 after coupons. I looked at my receipt and it said I had bought 83 items. As I was putting them away, I realized I had gotten several items that were $6, & $7, so I was very happy with the way things went. I don’t think I will buy anything next week except milk, bread or anything we use up. I am thanking God for coupons and moneysavingmom!
Crystal,
Thanks for the tip on the cheese at Dillons. I went and got 20 packs. I actually showed 2 ladies how to use the coupons so we all stood there and took turns getting coupons. I missed the organic cocoa. I have been watching it to go on sale.
I got 10 of the organic toaster pastries at the health food store, too. I got them for free with store coupons. The next time you are there look for their coupon book called Healthy Clippings. It is purple right now. It is full of great organic coupons that can be used anywhere. I was able to get 2 boxes of organic granola at Dillons for $.99 each with these coupons. Great finds this week!
Awesome deal on strawberries! I wish we had a kroger around here!
Amen to God being so good & faithful. We thank Him daily for His gracious provision in our lives. Thank you for expressing that truth through your blog(s).
Wow, you’ve got some great deals where you live. I have a Kroger, but the Kraft cheese is 2.49, not 1.49.
Great deal on the cheese- I rarely buy cheese because it is so expensive- our grocery stores do not do mark downs except on the previous day’s meat.
Where did your friend find the strawberries so cheap? I am in the Springfield, MO area and we have Dillons, too. I am wondering if we have any other stores that you may have, too- I would love to find such a good deal on strawberries like that! We have a Food 4 Less that has them $1.94 a pound right now.
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Money Saving Mom here: It was a locally-owned grocery store and I think it was a very special deal. We don’t have many stores here beside Aldi, Dillons, and the locally-owned chain. Oh and Walgreens and Wal-Mart.
I have a question about freezing. Do you have a post about what can and can’t be frozen and what is the best way to freeze certain items? For example…all that shredded cheese? Will you just toss the bags in there? Do you defrost all of it at once? I know NOTHING about how to freeze and store things if I were to buy a lot at a great price. I would love to read a post on general freezing/defrosting/packaging rules and methods for individual items and for entire dishes (if I want to make two batches of something at one time and freeze one batch for a week or two later).
Thanks! Of all the blogs I follow, yours is my fave and the one I recommend first and most often!!!
Kim
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Money Saving Mom here: A lot of folks have been asking for a post on freezing stuff recently. Honestly, I feel like I’m not the best person to write something like this since I don’t know what the “rules” are; I’ve learned everything I know from others and my own trial and error.
As far as the cheese goes, yes, I just tossed the bags in the freezer and then will likely just use them in casseroles, etc. You can pull them out of the freezer and thaw or just use it frozen.
Basically, the best way to learn about how to freeze stuff is to just do it. You’ll quickly learn more what works for your family. There are also lots of great books on freezer cooking at the library or websites online.
And if you’re not sure whether something can freeze or not, a quick Google search will usually hold the answer.
I’ve found that you can freeze almost everything. I wouldn’t recommend freezing anything with potatoes in it or raw eggs, but other than that, I’ve frozen just about everything else!
Wow! I sure wish we had Kroger here! Isn’t Kroger a Safeway store? We have Randalls, which is a Safeway store, but it is incredibly overpriced! I rarely go there, but maybe I should ask if they do markdowns on a certain day. Anyone else had success at Randalls? They are the only store around that doubles coupons sometimes, but it still doesn’t seem worth it.
Great job!! I was able to also stock up at the Kroger mega sale – I got 6 Tropicana Orange Juices for Sunday brunch that will last from now until March! I also got some good deals at Publix.
I’m jealous, I had used the blinkie for cheese too, only mine was just $.75 off. I bought 10 assorted cheeses though!
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Money Saving Mom here: Ours was $0.75/1, too, but our Kroger “doubles” that up to $1. I *love* this coupon “doubling” policy, needless to say!
I live in Springfield, IL and I would love to find the markdowns like you do. Do you go really early in the morning to find them? Our stores we have are Shop-n-Save, Meijer, Schucks, County Market and Super Walmart, but even when I go at 9 am, I rarely find markdowns. Can you give us the scoop on how best to know when they will be mark downed? Thanks
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Money Saving Mom here: I’d give you the scoop, but it really is so varied from store-to-store that it’s impossible for me to say. My best advice is to ask your stores if they routinely mark stuff down and if so, when. Also, go on different days and at different times and see if you find certain times/days are better.
Lastly, keep your eyes peeled! I always start my shopping trip by going around the perimeter of the store and just specifically looking for the orange mark-down tags. I’m pretty sure that a lot of the people miss the great mark-downs I find at my stores just because they aren’t specifically looking for them.
All that said, not all stores do mark-downs. Many of them do, but I think that Kroger tends to be a bit more on the generous side when it comes to mark-downs. My best advice is to talk to those “in the know” at your stores and ask what they do with items which are almost expired. Sometimes if you find things close to the expiration date and ask if you could have a discount on them, they’ll gladly give it to you!
Your deals are great! I also am stocking up on cheese because it’s such a great price, I’ve got 8 and I’m going to buy more this week 🙂 Love the blog!
Amazing! I wish my grocery store would mark down items. That’s really great that yours does.
Mercedes
It appears that prices in your area are lower than they are here in southern CA. For example, the Kraft cheese was $2 after the mega sale, rather than $1.50 (and there were no coupons there!). Either way, I still got some great deals.
Great deals. I wish our markets had markdown sections. I think they must send them to other stores. We’re visiting in Florida now and they do have great deals on produce though – and so fresh and tasty!
This week I found a great solution to the challenge of getting hormone-free, antibiotic-free meat within my budget. Super Target will put both chicken and beef on sale for under $4 a pound. I stocked my freezer!
I am always amazed at your finds….I try week after week and just can’t do it yet. Of course, I have completely different stores and I’m still learning.
Thanks for the inspiration. And I especially want to say thanks for the reminder to pray over shopping trips – maybe that’s what I’m missing!
Oh how your posts make me long for a Dillon’s or Kroger! We used to have Dillion’s here and the stores closed in the last year and a half. So sad! We don’t have any stores here in Kansas City that double coupons now.
Wow, what an amazing grocery trip you had & to get all that cheese. Is Dillions the same as Fred Meyers?? I live in the Pacific NW (Portland, OR). I don’t usually shop at my Fred Meyers b/c they don’t double coupons. But would be willing to try it out by watching your Saturday Savings. And all those strawberries, that was a sweet deal, W2G!
Christina
mmmm Those strawberries look delicious! I absolutely love strawberries!
Congratulations on getting all these great deals. I think you should be stocked up for at least a couple months after the baby is born 🙂
Seriously, I envy the prices on all of your food items, I rarely see food items marked down in the grocery stores in the area where I live on Long Island. Oh well, I guess we all do the best we can in the areas that we live in…..
Great job! You are smart to put things aside for the baby’s birth. Have fun!
Oh man I sure wish I could hit the mega deals like you did. We have a reasors and a walmart by my house and thats really all. Reasors has a clerance buggie sometimes but not all the times. I have a home land as well but its a bit further 20 mins from my house but I never seem to hit it good like you.
I am so excited….newbie here and from Krogers I snagged food that totaled retail over $100 and I got all for about $55. With hubby losing his job at Thanksgiving this is such a help. thank you for your work on this site.